Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a centrifugal fan, and more particularly, to a centrifugal fan assembly with a fan that has a three-dimensional structure.
Air-conditioners or refrigerators include a blowing fan to discharge cooled air or high-temperature air generated by a compressor, etc. The blowing fan may include a fan motor and a centrifugal fan assembly driven by the fan motor.
The centrifugal fan assembly may generally include a hub connected to a fan motor with a plurality of blades around the hub, and a shroud. When the motor turns the fan, the blades blow air in a direction consistent with the design of the blades.
If an eddy forms on a top surface of the blade, noise may occur and there may be a loss of torque. As a method for overcoming this, centrifugal fans have been manufactured by injection-molding the plurality of blades in a three-dimensional shape, without the shroud.
Such blades may include a hub-side front end that faces one direction and an outermost-side rear end that faces the other direction. That is, a portion of one end of the blade may face one direction and a portion of the other end may face another direction.
From the hub-side front end to the outermost-side rear end may have a shape similar to S.
Conventionally, each blade with this type of three-dimensional shape is separately injection-molded and welded to a hub plate. Steel blades may be provided by bending or folding flat blades to a desired shape.
When the plurality of blades are separately installed on the hub plate, manufacturing costs may increase due to increased operation processes and imbalances among the blades may cause increasing noise when the centrifugal fan is operating.